Dartmouth Freshman Charged With Rape

Hanover — A Dartmouth College freshman has been accused of raping a female student inside her dorm room earlier this month, Hanover police said.

Parker C. Gilbert, 20, has been charged with four counts of aggravated felony sex assault, police said. He appeared in Lebanon Circuit Court yesterday, police said, where a judge imposed $75,000 bail, including $40,000 cash.

Gilbert, a member of the college rugby team from London, allegedly entered the victim’s unlocked dorm room in the early morning hours of May 2. The female student filed a complaint with authorities; police did not say when she came forward.

Hanover police said the investigation is ongoing.

They arrested Gilbert in his dorm room without incident, and then executed a search warrant . Police say they plan to execute additional search warrants in connection with the case.

Police did not specify in which dormitory the alleged attack occurred. Other than gender, police did not provide any information about the victim, including whether she knew Gilbert.

Authorities urged students to lock their dorm rooms while they are sleeping and when the room is unoccupied.

Acting Hanover Police Chief Frank Moran could not be reached for comment late yesterday.

“We take all allegations of sexual assault very seriously,” Anderson said. “We are deeply committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of students and have implemented numerous new and strengthened initiatives over the past few years to reduce incidents of sexual assault, hold accountable those found responsible, and offer as much support and care as we can to survivors.”

Dartmouth College Safety and Security notified the campus community of Gilbert’s arrest in an e-mail yesterday evening, and said that Gilbert was being held in the Grafton County jail in North Haverhill.

Campus security said it learned of the arrest from Hanover police yesterday afternoon.

Gilbert, a member of the Class of 2016, is listed as a member of the college’s club rugby team and he is pictured on the team’s Facebook page.

He is scheduled to return to Lebanon Circuit Court for a probable cause hearing on Monday.

The charges filed against him each carry a 20-year maximum sentence.

Police asked anyone with further information to call Moran at (603) 643-2222.